154 Presentation Techniques and Tips: The Ultimate List

“Public speaking isn’t a talent, it’s a skill.”

― Unknown
Ask anyone and they will tell you something different. Some tips are dead on and others… well they only lead to disaster.
We have achieved Independent Prezi Expert status from experience. From the hundreds of clients we have assisted to the award winning designs, we are experts. Digging, experience, and determination was necessary to bring you the most comprehensive list of presentation tips ever published. Each encounter and speaking engagement differs, but these tips hold strong. After putting our collective knowledge together and researching the best tips around, we have assembled the ultimate list.

Pre-Presentation Tips

Before you get ahead of yourself, slow down. Look at your calendar and start setting time aside to work on your presentation. The worse thing you can do is start slamming together a presentation without considering several factors:

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Preparing takes longer than you think. Respect the time.

Set aside time to brainstorm.

Starting to prepare too late will cause a poor presentation plagued with issues.

Know who your audience is.

Understand your audience’s fears, hopes, and dreams.

“What’s in it for the audience?” This should be the guiding light of your presentation.

Visual Tips

Putting your thoughts together in a structured manner is huge. You can look at the big picture and see just how concise the project is. Then you can really start searching for the visuals that make your idea sing:

Respect the time it takes to design. This is not just a few hours task.

Use visuals to stimulate multiple senses.

Your visuals should be all the script you need. Use key points to elaborate on.

Delivering Presentation Tips

Planning and design are not your only concerns. The ultimate goal is to deliver this presentation. All the prepping and practicing comes down to this moment: the stage. The 2nd most common fear is public speaking. You don’t have to include yourself into this hat. Follow these tips and chase fear away:

Rest properly the night before.

Making sure you eat a complete protein for lasting energy.

Be hydrated. The previous day’s nutrition and water consumption matters to your performance.

Know where the location is. Find it a day in advance.

Arrive early.

Put your phone on silent. Don’t argue with this one.

Don’t eat in the cloths you will present in.

Test all the equipment and your visual aid.

Have a contingency plan.

You need to have your own equipment when possible.

Don’t depend on internet connection.

If you can have a monitor, place it low between you and the audience.

Have set up and testing done before the audience arrives.

Engage in conversation before the event starts. This creates “friends”.

Give a humble introduction of yourself. They don’t need to hear about ego.

Remember you are here for the audience, not you.

Get the audience involved. Talk to them, not at them.

Ask questions and insist on an answer.

Call on someone that makes strong eye contact.

Slow down and relax.

Breath in, not out. Breathing out will cause “ums” and “ahs”.

Respect the amount of time you have and the time the audience is giving you.

Show your passionate.

Confidence builds credibility.

Recognize the fear you have and address what is causing it. Make it a strength.

Don’t be afraid of not knowing an answer. Reply with “what a good question”.

Use a remote and a laser pointer if possible. This makes you appear “together”.

Where your emotions on your sleeve, but don’t be a train wreck.

Close all other programs on your device.

Make sure your device is not going to update during your presentation.

Its okay if they don’t get your humor. Move on and try again when appropriate.

Never use a pitchy or sales tone. Solve their problem, not sell a solution.

Your Prezi presentation doesn’t need to be your only aid. Use props if appropriate.

Make friendly eye contact. Don’t creep out individuals.

Don’t read from a script or the screen. KNOW THY MATERIAL.

Make it worth what the audience paid: time, attention, brain cells…

Be loud enough you are clearly heard.

Refrain from apologizing.

If wrong, apologize gracefully!

Eye contact is important but don’t give awkward glares

Pause to slow down.

Pause after power points.

Be on the offense not the defense.

Have fun and let the audience feel your excitement.

Sales Presentation Tips

People don’t care to be sold or pitched. They want a connection and for their problem to be solved. Keep these sales presentation techniques in mind if you’re in the sales world:

Start with getting to know your audience before you deliver the presentation.

Key on the audience’s challenges.

Let them know it is okay to interrupt.

Plan to deliver non-linear.

Encourage feedback.

Be personal and offer help, don’t make them feel sold to.

Identify and exploit one main emotion.

Mix media between images, graphs/charts, and short videos.

Use a physical prop if possible.

Avoid a monologue by stopping and asking for input.

Investor Presentation Tips

Seeking monies to grow and develop your concept is nothing new. During the Renaissance, great artists were funded by investors to create masterful artwork and epic buildings. Their shear passion alone was the defining point of being commissioned. Look over these key investor presentation tips:

Clearly identify what you seek and at what valuation.

Your product is not always the key selling point. Express your passion, it may be the true investment.

Training Presentation Tips

Every person reading this has set through some training session. You know exactly how painful they gain be. Time consuming, boring, and of no value. Change this now that you are the trainer. These presentation tips as short and sweet, but have killer effectiveness:

Use open questions and invite the audience to share their opinions.

Find interactive activities that create conversation and connect the members.

Be friendly, concise, and use a follow-up feedback form to know how the audience really feels.

Miscellaneous Presentation Tips

Some presentation techniques just don’t fit in the earlier categories. Finding the balance is the general idea. You need to balance your information both on and off screen, emotional appeal but not begging, solid preparation but not mechanical memorization, and telling your audience just enough to intrigue them, not give them every ounce of your knowledge. Here are our last few presentation tips:

Reader Contributed Presentation Tips:

*Deep Breath* Could There Be More?!?

This took all our combined knowledge and several days of researching to compile this colossal monster. Our sleepless efforts were to bring you every last presentation tip that has value. If by chance we are missing something, please let us know so we can include it. You get the credit for every tip you supply. With so much to keep in mind, why not hire a professional?

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Get in touch with our team of Prezi Experts to find how we can help your salespeople thrive with Conversational Presenting and the Power of Storytelling in Sales.